Countdown to the derby

Despite there still being nine matches of the 2021/22 WSL season to play, when City welcomed United to the Academy Stadium on Sunday 13 February, there was a feeling that its outcome could be significant.

With an unprecedented injury crisis firmly in the rear-view mirror, Gareth Taylor’s side had claimed four successive victories in all competitions at the turn of the year.

An emphatic FA Cup triumph over Nottingham Forest – which saw Georgia Stanway become our record goalscorer – continued that feelgood factor around the City Football Academy, but things hadn’t all gone City’s way ahead of the visit of our rivals.

Indeed, a stoppage time equaliser from Arsenal’s Tobin Heath had denied us what would have been a deserved victory over the league leaders, cancelling out what had looked like a winning goal from Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw.

And in our following WSL encounter, away at defending champions Chelsea, a spirited performance hadn’t been enough to prevent a 1-0 defeat courtesy of Guro Reiten’s early strike.

Those results meant City came into the clash with United five points behind our rivals, who themselves occupied the WSL’s final UEFA Women’s Champions League spot.

Taylor’s side had won eight of our past ten fixtures in all competitions but adding a ninth to that sequence would have a huge say on the direction of our league campaign.

That potential importance wasn’t something that the boss hid away from, either.

It was Losada who went close first, volleying onto the roof of the net after United had only half-cleared a looping ball in from Park.

The early ascendancy continued when Hemp inadvertently blazed over from close-range after carving open the visiting defence with a typically mazy run from the left flank.

It was a similar story after the break, with Park striking the foot of the post through a crowd of bodies after working an opening with some fancy footwork down the right.

While United did go particularly close through a Martha Thomas header, the hosts enjoyed 68% possession across the 90 minutes, registering 18 shots on the visiting goal in comparison to their four.

However, for all of that dominance, one key statistic remained unchanged – the scoreline.

City were looking like we would suffer another frustrating draw with one of the WSL’s heavyweights, just as they had two weeks prior against Arsenal.

In need of inspiration and with stoppage time approaching, Taylor rolled the dice. Step forward Caroline Weir.

“I think it was potentially a better execution than last year, which was some goal.

“She was under pressure from a couple of United players and to execute that type of finish under pressure is really difficult.”

What Taylor was referring to was a moment of pure genius which would ultimately settle the showpiece tie.

The move began with typically tenacious play from Alex Greenwood, who forced Signe Bruun into inadvertently sliding the ball off the toe of team-mate, Katie Zelem.

Weir, just six minutes after entering the fray, picked up the loose ball and drove towards goal.

Answering the calls of ‘shoot’ from the City faithful, the Scotland international sent an audacious chip beyond the despairing dive of Mary Earps to hand City all three points in dramatic fashion.

Jonathan Pearce, providing the commentary for the BBC’s broadcast of the match, summed up the moment perfectly: “That is an exquisite lob to win any game, and surely enough here to win this Manchester derby.”